Love in a Heart-Shaped Bottle
by SoulEaterRomanceFan
Summary: USUK School AU. Arthur Kirkland, School Council President has fallen for Alfred F Jones, Athletic Department star. After thirteen failed attempts, he resorts to seeking the help from the L'Amour club. The plan? Use your powers as Magic Club leader and make a love potion! It lasts four days. Can Arthur win Alfred over by then or will he lose his last chance at Alfred's heart?


I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

_Note: This is a School AU where everyone is human. Thanks for clicking the story! (\ (^o^) /)_

* * *

It was a chilly Friday in the middle of February and Arthur Kirkland stomped down the school hallway, muttering to himself again and again that this was a good idea and there would be no consequence to doing this. The pale beige walls surrounding him and the dark grey lockers were the only witnesses, as he swiftly turned the corner and headed up the next flight of stairs.

Despite Arthur's self encouragement, a small part of him was cursing himself for stooping this low. He was a straight A student, the student council president and even the leader and founder of the Magic club. Yet here he was, on the third floor of the school, after school hours, going to his rivals stupid "L'amour club".

Arthur couldn't believe he was actually going to that stupid frog for help in such a personal matter. Still though, the fact that the Newspaper club just recently published a front page article about this "L'amour club" must mean it was good. Kiku and Ludwig were always very picky about what they posted in the newspaper.

Opening a solid wooden door with the little bronze number plate saying "Room 317", Arthur shut it silently, his emerald eyes scanning the room. Maybe if the frog wasn't here, he could say he tried at least. He could probably figure something out on his-

"Bonjour~ How may I help- Oh it's only you bushy-brows." Francis came strutting in, obviously excited to have someone visit his one-man club, but upon seeing the unfriendly face of Arthur, he seemed a bit less peppy then he started.

"Tch, shut up Francis." Arthur said, frowning. Was it really that bad to see him in a club?

"What are you doing here? I'll have you know I haven't spent out of the club budget, all the forms for this club are in your inbox and might I say, I am doing fairly well in business. Have I covered all of the reasons that you will use to try to shut this club down or do I need legal proof?" Francis said sighing.

Arthur flushed, he wasn't that mean! It was only once he had done that anyways… The rest he shut down with only one reason. Besides, who would go to a club called "Making Pasta" club! Feliciano was already busy with all the other silly clubs he managed to make.

"No, that's not why I'm here git. I heard this was the place of the L'amour club. It has good reputation, right?" Arthur asked gritting his teeth. It seemed his mind was trying to postpone the inevitable question…

"Oui, that is true. In fact, our last couple involved that tough Italian, Lovino. Mon dieu, was that a challenge." Francis said, sighing and rubbing his forehead. "Antonio really owes me for that one." HE mumbled, though smiling. His light blue eyes shone with accomplishment and happiness as he spoke. "Ah but, it was lovely to see mon ami so cheerful when Lovino finally accepted his date request. You know, it's only a matter of time before they-"

Arthur loudly cleared his throat, not wanting to hear the profanities that were just about to spill from the Frenchman's mouth. "Yes, well. I have come to…To…"

Francis looked at Arthur intrigued, one perfectly trimmed eyebrow rising in glee. His mouth contorted into a knowing smile, though he seemed to be trying hard not to let it spread into a full-out grin. "Oui?"

One bushy eyebrow twitching, Arthur grit his teeth in frustration, not enjoying the look Francis was giving him. Clearly the sly man wasn't going to do a thing until he said it. That bloody frog…

"To request some… Advice. From the L'amour club." Hoping to keep a little bit of his pride, Arthur intentionally mispronounced the French word, making Francis wince slightly and causing a small redeeming smirk to appear on his own face. It fell a second later however when Francis snickered.

"What _kind_ of advice?" Francis asked, feigning innocence. "I have a lot of different kinds of advice. Beauty advice maybe? You just need to get rid of those bushy monstrosities above your head and-"

"Bloody hell! You know what kind of advice, idiot! Now, will you help me or do I need to give this club a temporary hiatus because the one-and-only club member is in the hospital!" Arthur said angrily, taking a threatening step forwards.

Francis chuckled and gave a disapproving shake of his head, clicking his tongue to add to the teasing. "You'll never win a heart with that kind of coarse talk, Angleterre." He said, using that annoying nickname he made for Arthur ever since he found out the boy's heritage.

Arthur glared but decided not to push things. "Look are you going to help or not?" He asked through gritted teeth, trying not to jump on the accursed Frenchman.

Francis nodded, "Oui, I cannot ignore a person with love troubles. That is just too cruel, non?" He said with a wink, walking towards the large window at the far wall, where a desk and large office chair lay. Arthur followed, shuffling his feet and looked out the window. The view, he had to admit, was quite stunning from up here. Francis had full view of nearly the whole school.

"Alright then Arthur. Tell me all about this lady you are trying to court, and but a few days before Valentines day, no less." Francis said, sitting on a large chair behind an oak office desk.

Arthur muttered something, trying to look at anything but the smug Frenchman and his folded hands with his stubbled chin resting on top of them.

The red, carpeted floor and elegant arched window provided no distraction for the poor brit, who paced around nervously. The room seemed bigger now that he had time to view, a few painting scattered here and there, a bookshelf or two. It was much like his own little office where he took care of student council business. The school was always a big place… A big place with many students, but only one person in particular had managed to catch the usually calm and composed boy.

"….ed." Arthur mumbled, shuffling his foot as he stopped where he stood. Francis cocked an eyebrow,

"Pardon?"

"…fred."

"Goodness Arthur, you have t-"

"Alfred! Alfred F. Jones. Don't make me repeat myself Frog!" Arthur said, his face red and eyes shut. Francis stared for a moment before bursting into unrestrained laughter, causing Arthur's face, if it was possible, to turn an even darker shade of red.

"Damn it, you bloody frog! I knew this was a terrible idea! Don't you dare voice this to anyone else or I'll have this club, and _you,_ ejected from this educational establishment!" Arthur yelled, spinning on his heel.

"Ah, wait a moment there Arthur!" Francis said, cutting his path to the door short as he hurried from his desk and stopped in front of the tomato-faced Brit. "I'm sorry, forgive me. It's just, the way you were treating this matter. I thought maybe you were going to tell me you're in trouble with the mafia!" Francis laughed again, though stopped himself just in time to catch Arthur's fist in his stomach. "Oogh! Angleterre, really. Was that necessary?"

Arthur looked like he was ready to blow a fuse. To joke about that kind of thing. Natalia at that; Ivan would kill him on the spot! Only a fool would try to court her; or at least, fools and Toris… "Shut up frog, either get to the point and help or let me leave."

Francis nodded, "Alright." He rubbed his stomach, wincing. "Well, you should know it's no surprise. You try too hard to hide it, a good amount of the more observant student body." He said matter of factly.

Arthur sputtered angry words, unable to make a comprehensive sentence and shaming his good grade in English grammar.

Francis ignored this however, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmm, yes it could work though." He pointed at Arthur, his finger just a few inches from the Brit's nose.

"Arthur, you, let's face it, are terrible at expressing your feelings to anyone. In fact, I can assume that you've tried countless times and miserably failed each!" Francis said bluntly.

Arthur winced. Talk about a serious hit to his pride. "Well, that is, I may have tried a couple of times…"

A couple of failures, it was better called. The one plan was to simply talk to him, but it ended with a "Yo, heads up!" When the American's football made contact with his head. That left Arthur with both a bump and a feeling of dismay. Another time, it was in a note; like a silly schoolgirl, left in Alfred's textbook. That ended well; right to the point Alfred was about to open it but was distracted by a hamburger and instead used it as a napkin.

There were other attempts, but Arthur didn't really want to depress himself further that day. "So my attempts have been somewhat futile. What's that got to do with anything, Francis?"

Francis sighed, "It's simple. You have to get your feelings out somehow. The only way I see it, is by force!" he spoke with a fiery passion and Arthur could swear he saw little flames of fire in Francis' eyes. Why was he so excited?

"I'd rather not use force. That's not very gentlemanly anyways." Arthur said, shrugging. Clearly Francis had no idea how to help. He knew it was hopeless, right from the beginning. What's more, to be the honor student council president who was strict, prim and proper yet to have admitted so blatantly he liked the popular, jubilant, sports jock of the school?

Alfred was the star of more than two sports teams. The one whom every girl swooned over just being in a five-foot radius from him and who was, apart from the exchange student from Cuba, loved by pretty much everyone. Well their personalities were so clashing you might as well dress Arthur in lime-green pants with a neon-yellow shirt and he still wouldn't have been able to compare. He sighed in defeat, shaking his head.

Francis clicked his tongue in dismay. "You haven't even listened to my plan and you're so depressed already. You're one tough customer, Arthur." He said, shaking his head.

Arthur glared, urging him to get on with it.

"The plan is simple, non?" Francis seemed to shrug, as though the plan should be as clear as water to both himself and Arthur. "You are in the Magic club, are you not?"

Arthur nodded. Yes. Yes he was.

"Then the answer is simple. If you can't talk to Alfred under normal circumstances, why not manipulate them in your favor?" Francis said, his eyebrows wiggling at the prospect. "Surely you know how to make a simple love potion? Or your other friends in that bizarre club would at least. Simply get Alfred to ingest it. You'll be able to talk to him without the fear of rejection and perhaps by the time it wears off, things will have blossomed into something wonderful. Good idea, non?"

Francis only response was the sound of the door slamming shut as the Brit left the room in a huff. The Frenchman merely shrugged and sat at his desk, hands folded together as he placed his head on top of them, elbows on the hard, wooden surface. The edges of his mouth curved up slightly as he spoke.

"Well now, let us see where this will take us." He murmured, spinning on this chair and watching the familiar shape of Arthur, three stories down, walking toward the front entrance of the school, ready to head home.

* * *

"Stupid…. Stupid Frog." Arthur muttered, his black cloak resting over his school uniform. He stood in the school basement, the tall stone walls rising high above him as beams of light hit the dark, stone floor from small windows high above.

Today was when his Magic Club met, only this time he had decided to come early.

After relentless tossing and turning the night before, Arthur had finally concluded that perhaps the Frog's idea, (He shuddered as he thought this) wasn't a terrible idea. Perhaps there was a chance it might actually work. The only problem at the moment was-

"Bloody hell, how do I make this potion? Every time I do, it seems to turn out wrong." Arthur muttered, re-reading the instructions for brewing the potion. A simple love potion would do, one with a fairly short decomposition time frame, that way, should anything go wrong, there would only be a few days of it until he was "relieved." Unfortunately, every potion he had tried to make since didn't seem to work, turning into a dark, black substance that resembled machine oil.

"What am I doing wrong?" Arthur mumbled, scratching his head in confusion. "Am I missing an ingredient? What could it be?!"

Suddenly the door burst open as the other two members of the club entered. Lukas, the Norwegian student, walked in silently, his expression as neutral as ever, though a slight frown seemed to grace his mouth as he looked at Arthur with his deep blue eyes. Their clubs choice of "uniform" being a cape, Lukas was wearing one similar to Arthur's, over his own school uniform, only his was in a deep blue shade.

Following behind Lukas was Vlad, from Romania. Vlad had deep red eyes and wore a dark red cape over his school uniform. He approached with curiosity but was stopped short when Lukas stopped, blocking his passage.

"Arthur-" Luks spoke, eyeing the darkened mixing pot. "-what are you doing here so early?"

Arthur looked to the pot, gulping. Should he tell them or not? Would they make fun of him? They would definitely question him. How much, if anything, should he tell them?

"A-Ah…"

"I think he is making a love potion." Vlad said, pointing to the open book on the table. His passage blocked by Luka, he had set out to find other things to do around him. He had found the table on which Arthur's open potion book sat.

Arthur's face went red as he rushed to the table and slammed the book shut, nearly clipping Vlad's nose in the process. "No I'm not! I'm just testing a few new potions I thought of!"

Lukas and Vlad held similar looks of suspicion, not buying the Brit's excuse for one minute.

"…"

"…"

Two pairs of eyes bored two holes into Arthur, starting at him. He sighed, to think that he was the best at glaring out of the three of them? "I-I may have been testing out the recipe for a love potion… But!"" He held up a hand and motioned to the blackened pot. "As you can see, it is not working. Let's label this potion a dud and move on." He said briskly, not leaving room for questions.

Vlad and Lukas shared a look that made Arthur feel a bit on edge…

"Come back in half-an-hour." Lukas said calmly, flipping the hood on his clock over his head. Vlad did the same and nodded as Arthur stared at them, perplexed.

"Excuse me-"

"Like he said, come back in half-an-hour. The potion will be done by then." Vlad added, opening the book. He flipped to the page with the love potion recipe and began to read.

"Wha- Are you kicking me out?! Why on Earth-"

"Arthur." Lukas interrupted, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. He spoke with his same monotone voice, but there was a small hint of friendliness there. "This potion requires a special kind of magic. The reason it's not working for you is because your magic is as effective in making this. You're good at offensive magic, also with magic circles, but in the apothecary, I think it's better that Vlad and I do it. Think of it as magical cooking." Lukas said, explaining.

Magical… _Cooking_?

"Oh." Arthur said, feeling his pride deflate even more. "Ah, right then… Please… Do your best." He said, sighing. Vlad gave him an apologetic look but Arthur waved it off, trying to retain what was left of his pride. It still hadn't repaired from yesterday's Frog visit and this seemed to add a little insult to injury… Without another word, Arthur sighed and left the room, wandering the halls in search of something to pass the time.

* * *

_Half-an-hour._ Arthur thought, grumbling. That was just enough time to wander the halls and do absolutely nothing! Which was what he did. He came way too early, so nothing was actually open, not even the library which opened at seven in the morning.

Now in a slightly bitter mood, Arthur knocked on the door, wondering why in his Magic Club leader authority, he didn't just march in.

The door opened and standing in the doorway was Lukas, holding a small vial of clear liquid. "Here." He said, passing it to Arthur. Arthur took the vial and held it up, examining it. It did indeed look a lot better than his had ever turned out.

"Great, thanks." Arthur said, turning to leave.

"Hold on a moment Arthur!" Vlad called; peeking his head out of the Magic Club room. "You have to listen to details about the potion!"

Arthur huffed, "I know the details. Get Alfred to drink the potion and he will fall in love, right?"

Vlad shook his head, "No, no! There's more!" He hurried past Lukas and stopped in front of Arthur, Lukas shrugging and doing the same.

Both boys stared at Arthur, making him feel a little unsettled but waited for him to explain what he assumed he had already known.

"One-" Vlad held up a finger. "The potion will last until just after Valentines day! That means you have today, which is Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and a little bit of Monday."

Arthur was about to nod, he knew as much, having read the potion book fairly thoroughly, but Lukas stopped him.

"Two-" Lukas said, interrupting and holding up two fingers. Arthur couldn't help but frown. Really, did both of these two have a habit of interrupting? "What this potion does, is make the drinker become infatuated with the _first_ person he or she sees. Meaning you need to be in plain view when the person drinks it."

Arthur sighed exasperatedly and nodded, he knew that too.

"Three-" Vlad pitched in, holding up a three fingers. "Once the potion is in effect, your goal is to make the potion receiver _truly _fall in love with you. As the potion starts to wear off, they gain their senses slowly, so come Monday, they'll have a good idea. Of course, you the giver probably loves them, so mutual feelings are the key. If you fail to do this, Arthur, then all that's left is-"

"Look, I already know these things." Arthur said, interrupting. "I need to hurry and get Alfred to take this. Please excuse me, lads." HE said it rushed, turning and leaving to find Alfred. Both boys watched Arthur leave, Lukas sighing.

"-Four." Vlad spoke softly, his face serious as he raised a fourth finger. "Should you fail to attain the receiver's heart-"

"- You will lose him or her forever." Lukas said, sighing. "Arthur is taking a real risk. It could end very badly…"

Vlad bit his lip, his sharp incisors nearly breaking the pale skin. "Do you think we should stop him and tell him?"

Lukas shook his head, "No. Leave this to chance now. If we don't mention it, maybe it won't happen. Not like saying it to him will make things better anyways."

Vlad nodded and went back inside the club room, Lukas following behind; the door made a loud click as it closed, the sound ringing in the air with a tone of finality.

So it began.

* * *

"Bloody idiot." Arthur muttered, sitting on the bleachers as he not-so-casually watched Alfred practice.

It was a habit, observing (He refused to call it "stalking." That was what Natalia often did with Ivan.) Alfred during practice. He watched the wheat-blonde boy with the bright sky-blue eyes tackle the football dummy. Despite the bulky safety gear, Arthur could still see Alfred's eyes from under the plastic visor of his helmet. They were determined, even though it was practice; Alfred was still giving it his all. It was small things like that that made Arthur's heart flutter.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason Arthur was infatuated with the loud American. There were other reasons of course, but he was too busy patting his pocket every so often; feeling for the vial, to think about them.

_Still there._ He thought, feeling the lump for the umpteenth time. How was he to get Alfred to ingest this though? He was considering slipping it into Alfred's water bottle, but it was all the way at the bench, near the far end of the school's field. The coach was watching them too, so he had no chance. Not with the coach's "No players on the field" rule.

Or did he?

Nearby, Arthur heard a familiar pair approach, of course the title "pair" was just recently granted to them, thanks to the ever flowing gossip train in the school.

"Chigi! Get off me tomato bastard! I don't want your damn hugs!"

"But Lovi~ You said that you were nervous about your upcoming test, right? How else can I give you good luck if you won't accept my good luck charm either?"

"Shut up! I don't need your good luck! I'll be fine."

From behind the bleachers walked Lovino Vargas and Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo.

_These were the two that Francis was talking about yesterday. _Arthur thought, watching them interact. Lovino's face was red as he tried to angrily pry Antonio off his body. The Spaniard had his arms wrapped tightly around Lovino's waist, hugging him and not letting go, meaning Lovino was more dragging/shuffling around the bleachers than actually walking.

"Hehe…" Arthur took out his phone, snapping a picture. HE had an idea, but he couldn't very well ask Antonio for help without some leverage. They had a bit of a rocky relationship. Two years ago, Antonio and Arthur had done separate class projects about the Spanish and British naval respectively. Needless to say, they got into a "war on the waters" when Antonio dragged Arthur into the schools main fountain after Arthur "accidentally" cannonballed his diorama into the garbage. To be fair, he admitted that he did start it, but only because Antonio had insulted his mother country.

Needless to say, they hadn't been on the greatest of terms, but at least they could pass each other in the halls with a curt nod, instead of a punch to the jaw.

"Hehehe, you two look like one happy couple." Arthur said, holding his phone in plain view as the two boys looked up.

Lovino understood the situation first, immediately bristling in frustration; face reddening like a ripe tomato. His hair curl near the front of his head bobbed angrily and he stomped his foot on the hard ground, his green eyes resting on the phone. "You didn't."

Arthur chuckled, "I did!"

Antonio however, was a bit slower. Instead frowning for a different reason. "Oh, Its you. Lo siento, Arthur, but I kindly ask you to leave. I want to enjoy my time with Lovi, not spoil it with your caterpillared presence." He said this using his normal, happy tone, smiling, but even Lovino could hear the restrained annoyance behind the cheerful demeanor.

"Chigi! That's not the point! He had pictures of this! He could-"

"Pictures?" Antonio seemed to genuinely brighten up. "Of you and me? Oh Lovi, that's wonderful! Our first picture as a coup- oof!"

Arthur winced as though he could feel that headbutt. Lovino had promptly turned around and somehow, despite the Spanish boy holding on to his waist, Lovino managed to headbutt Antonio right in the stomach.

"Alright, stupid scone bastard. What do you want for that." Lovino cocked his head to the phone, understanding the situation. Pretty smart for someone so cowardly. "My familia is Italian, dummy. Obviously I know a thing or two about blackmail." He huffed, waiting for the conditions.

Arthur didn't doubt that Lovino probably had his share of information in his black book somewhere. Sometimes it was hard to believe this boy was the brother of the kind-hearted Feliciano.

"Well. I require the use of Antonio, star of the soccer team." Arthur said, "Comply and you get the pictures, decline and I send them to the Newspaper club. I'm sure they'd love to print an issue with the newest couple on their front page. You know how Kiku and Elizabeta love this stuff."

Lovino's eyes widened and he was nearly tempted to get out his white flag, but frowned at Arthur's odd request; nudging the Spaniard crouched on the ground. Said Spaniard was nursing his stomach when he felt Lovino's shoe nudge him gently and looked up, still smiling and standing up.

For a moment, Arthur felt a small twinge of pity. Poor Antonio was wrapped around that Italian's finger. But he didn't seem that bothered by it. Was that what happened when people really love each other? Or was it just that Antonio was that gullible? Maybe both. Arthur made a mental note to _not _do that if he ever had the chance with Alfred.

"Toni, go help Arthur and get those pictures! I don't want my idiota brother seeing those photos. He gives me enough trouble just knowing about our relationship." Lovino said, crossing his arms.

"Oh Lovi~ That's the first time you actually admitted we're in a relationship!" Antonio said, his hands clasped together and a large smile on his face.

Lovino glared, though there was as slight dusting of red in his cheeks. "Wh-whatever! Just go." He said, huffing and pushing Antonio to Arthur before turning around. "I'm going to wait at my locker okay? Be quick."

Antonio chuckled, watching Lovino leave before looking at Arthur, his smile vanishing. "Well what is it that you need me to do?" He asked, folding his arms.

Arthur grumbled, "Look, I don't like having to get you to help me either. All I need is for you to distract the coach over there." he nodded towards the field, Antonio zeroing in on the coach standing near the benches. "Five minutes, it's all I need. I have to time this though; so you need to come right when I tell you."

Looking at Arthur confused, Antonio nodded. "Alright. That's easy to do, but why?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if you asked politely." Arthur replied, standing up. He heard a shrill whistle from across the field as the coach balled to the team, signaling the last drill of the day. Arthur checked his watch. "Okay, practice is almost over. Go distract the coach; don't let him see me. Think you can do that?"

Antonio nodded, of course he could. Although, now he was curious to know why he was doing this. He had expected a demand such as doing something embarrassing or doing some kind of physical labor, like how he had been roped into making fake flowers; which he hadn't finished doing yet.

Arthur hurried over the field, his shoes making a soft crunching sound as they stepped on the grass. Hey motioned to the coach and watched as Antonio nodded, walking over to the coach and calling his attention. He had to admit, Antonio was pretty good at distracting someone. Maybe it was because he was so spacey, he just had a lot to say. He snickered about how he began to talk to the coach about how tomatoes are fruits and not vegetables.

Catching himself though, Arthur hurried to the benches where the football teams personal belongings lay. It wasn't too hard to find out which of the bags were Alfred's. The bag with the stars and stripes pattern was a dead giveaway. With haste, Arthur tugged out the water bottle from the bag, unscrewing the lid and taking out his small vial, unstopping it and pouring it into the water bottle before re-capping it. He quickly shook the bottle and tossed it back inside the bag just as the football team began to head towards the bleachers, their final practice play complete. Casually standing near Alfred's things, he waited, hoping this would work.

"Awesome job out there Alfred!" A teammate called to their star player. Alfred winked and gave them a thumbs-up. "We'll win for sure next game!" He said confidently, marching over to his bag.

Arthur watched as Alfred approached, casting a quick glance to Antonio. It looked like the coach was getting tired of listening, only a few more minutes. That's all he needed. Biting his bottom lip, Arthur watched as Alfred reached in his bag for his water bottle.

As Alfred stood at his full height, his star-decorated water bottle in his hand, he felt as though someone was staring at him and turned around, seeing Arthur standing nearby. Arthur felt his heart flutter when Alfred made eye contact with him. Oh, bloody hell, he was inwardly cursing himself for acting like such a stupid schoolgirl…

"OH, hey! You're the guy I hit with the football a few days ago. Man is your head okay? It looked pretty painful." Alfred asked, recognition in his eyes.

Arthur frowned, "I'm not a guy, my name is Arthur Kirkland, git."

Alfred laughed, "Oh, well my name's Alfred F. Jones." He said, "You-"

Arthur let out an exasperated sigh. From behind, he could hear the coach telling Antonio to stop bothering him and leave him be; that meant he had thirty seconds before the coach turned around and saw him. Not wanting to get in trouble though, Arthur decide it was time to hurry this along. Introductions could be shared later!

"Ah, right, well Alfred, it's nice to meet you. Why don't you just drink your water now, it's too hot for idle conversation." Arthur said hastily, feeling nervous beads of sweat forming. Twenty seconds.

"Uh dude, it's like the middle of February. What are you-"

"Just drink the bloody water!" Arthur said, growling, eyes widening as he quickly revised his command. "I mean, you just exerted yourself something fierce. You're probably dehydrated. Drink now, talk later."

"Well, I am kinda thirsty." Alfred said, thinking for a moment before holding up an hand, one finger extended upwards. "Gimme one sec." He said, raising the water bottle to his lips. Arthur watched closely, his mental timer still counting down. Ten seconds…

Alfred drank deeply, and time seemed to stretch for Arthur who waited anxiously. Nothing mattered right now, only that Alfred was drinking the potion and that if it didn't work, Arthur would probably march straight to the Magic club… No, to Francis' club. No he would probably smack Alfred first for being immune to the potion!

"Dude, why are you starin' at me? Do I have dirt on my face?" Alfred asked, snapping Arthur from his thoughts. He was looking straight at him, Alfred's sky-blue eyes staring directly into his own emerald orbs. For a moment Arthur thought he saw some kind of feeling flash in those eyes, but vanished quickly as he realized the American was waiting for him to answer.

Arthur shook his head, "Ah, no. Not at all." He bit his lip again, hesitantly asking, "So… Do you feel okay now? Anything different? Any changes?"

Alfred thought for a moment, his eyes sparling and nodded. Arthur's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah dude! I'm totally not thirsty now!" He fist-pumped and Arthur resisted the urge to groan in disappointment. He would be talking to someone about this later, maybe both the Magic club and Francis…

"Hey! You, kid! Off the field, there's practice going on and only players are allowed to be here." The coach called, walking over to Arthur and Alfred.

"O-Oh sorry. I didn't know." Arthur mumbled, feeling the heavy weight of disappointment drop on his shoulders.

Alfred looked to the coach for a minute before turning back to Arthur. "Hey, mind meeting me outside of the locker room in a bit? I'll go change. Promise you will?" he asked.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "Yeah, fine." He said, sighing and walking away, all the while he cursed himself for listening to Francis; he knew it wouldn't have worked…

* * *

Leaning against the blue wall across from the door to the locker room, Arthur looked at his phone. True to his word, he sent the images to Antonio before deleting them, hoping the airheaded Spaniard wouldn't' question his motives for needing the distraction. Not like it would make a difference though, seeing as the potion failed to work.

Arthur stiffened when Alfred came into view, taking him by surprise. He assumed the football star would have taken longer to change. Was Alfred going to finish explaining who he was? He resisted the urge to scoff. No need for that, considering Arthur (Along with the rest of the school) knew exactly who he was. Why was he wasting his time here?

"Great! You really did wait!" Alfred said, his bag slung over his shoulders. Now changed back into his school uniform, Alfred seemed a little smaller somehow, having lost the bulky equipment. The brown bomber jacket with the number fifty printed on the back did make him look a little bigger though, and the glasses now perched on top of his nose made him look a bit more mature. Arthur took a short second to look down at himself, his lanky, pale figure covered with the simple school uniform.

Sighing, Arthur tilted his head back to make eye contact with the American, Alfred being a little taller than him. "Well, that did you call me here for, Alfred?"

Alfred looked down, suddenly seeming a bit smaller as he shuffled his feet. "Ah, well, you're gonna think this is way to fast, seeing as how we kinda just met…"

Arthur scoffed, just met? If only he knew… Or remembered. "Well, technically we met a few days ago when you hit me in the head with your football. So just say it already."

Alfred nodded, looking up to meet Arthur's eyes before looking back down again, struggling to keep eye contact. "W-Well, I mean, I don't know how to put it… So, I'll start just by saying, you seem kinda nice and all…"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Seem?" Well isn't Alfred the flatterer…

Alfred shook his head, waving his hands as he shook his head. "N-No! Not seem! I mean, ugh."

Arthur kept his large brow raised, wondering if Alfred would just get to the point. Was he asking for Arthur to help him with something? This was confusing him…

"Okay, Arthur, I know we just met and its weird but _willyougooutwithme_?" Alfred asked, talking fast and shutting his eyes, hands at his sides now, clenched in fists.

Arthur felt his breath catch and his eyes widen. "Wh-What?"

"Will you go out with me Arthur?" Alfred said, slower this time and with a little bit more confidence.

"I-I" Arthur was taken aback by the sudden question, shaking his head in disbelief.

Alfred winced, having opened his eyes and seen Arthur shaking his head. It was a no then… He looked down in defeat. "Aha, I should have known of course. I mean, we only just met and-"

"Sure." Arthur said, causing Alfred to stop in mid sentence and stare at Arthur like he had just grown a second head.

"What?" This time it was the American's turn to be shocked as he looked to Arthur, wondering if the Brit was joking. Was that a-?

"I mean, yes. I will go out with you." Arthur said softly.

"Woah, really?! Even though we just met?!" Alfred asked, eyes shining in excitement.

Arthur nodded dumbly. "Y-Yeah. Sure. W-Why not give it a shot, huh?" He gave a half-smile, feeling a bit overwhelmed. So sudden, he was sure the potion hadn't worked. His eyebrows furrowed when Alfred said "even though we just met." Did he really not remember? Well, perhaps he would at a later point.

It was then Arthur realized. If the potion worked, then he has until Monday! The die was cast, he had to do this right.

"Awesome! Hey, can I walk you to your house maybe?" Alfred asked suddenly, snapping Arthur from his thoughts yet again.

He laughed, "Alfred, your home is in the other direction." Arthur said.

"Awh… Well, I mean I need to see you home so I can come pick you up tomorrow and do something fun with you! If were gonna go out together, then let's do something together." Alfred said, flashing Arthur a large grin, his white teeth seeming to reflect in the hallway light.

"Ah, you don't think you're going a little fast there?" Arthur mumbled, wondering if Alfred was just that kind of do-it-all guy. Not that he minded, the faster they did things together in these few days, the better his chances, right?

"Erh, am I? Sorry, I just, you know… I-"

"No its fine." Arthur said quickly, letting out a held breath when Alfred nodded, feeling reassured. He nearly screwed that one up.

"Okay, come on. I'll show you where my place is then; do you have your stuff?" Arthur asked, slipping his messenger bag over his shoulders. Alfred nodded, pointing to his backpack on the ground next to him. Arthur hadn't noticed that.

"Alright. Let's go then." Arthur said softly, smiling a little as he walked out with Alfred.

This wasn't too bad. Alfred seemed like a good guy before, and seemed like a good, if not a bit loud and forward, romantic interest. So, perhaps things would be smooth sailing for Arthur? After all, the American did seem deeply infatuated with him. That potion was working wonders.

Arthur couldn't help but wonder though. How would things turn out once it wore off?

* * *

_Arthur winced, waiting for the hit, but it never came._

"_Hey… Are you okay?"_

_Arthur slowly opened his eyes to see-_

"Yo, Arthur, are you okay?" Alfred asked, snapping Arthur out of the flashback. His unfocused eyes suddenly snapped into reality, Alfred's face only a few centimeters from his. Shocked, Arthur took a step back, only to trip over the step and feels himself falling backwards before he felt two strong arms around his waist, holding him up.

"Woah, you okay?" Alfred asked, holding Arthur up, his face once again only a few centimeters from his. Arthur could feel the soft breath touch his face and his cheeks flared. Quickly, he pushed Alfred away and stood up. Alfred let Arthur go without a fight and straightened himself.

"Yes! I'm perfectly fine." Arthur said, clearing his throat and dusting his clothes off. He stood outside of his house, having just received a call that Saturday morning from Alfred about how he would come at exactly ten in the morning and pick Arthur up to do something fun together. Arthur to be perfectly honest; was excited, although he made a great effort not to show it. Despite how his… Well, he wouldn't say wildest dreams, but they were on his wish list, he had to admit. Were coming true so to speak, he didn't want to let the American know just how much he was enjoying this.

"So tell me Alfred, where is it we're going today?" Arthur asked.

Alfred chuckled, "Well, I mean, I thought we would start small. Maybe go for lunch and then do something fun? We could see a movie? Then maybe I could walk you back home?" He asked them in the form of a question, but Arthur could tell that it was his original plan. How nice of him to run it by Arthur first though, he had to give Alfred points for that. It was safe to say though, that things were so far; so good.

"No, that sounds fine." Arthur said, nodding. Alfred grinned, his hesitant expression replaced with one of excitement.

"Awesome! Let's go!"

Arthur chucked and watched Alfred hop down the steps from the front door, clearly someone was excited. He locked the front door and slowly descended the steps, aware of the boy's eyes on him as he went. He looked up, looking at Alfred with a s small blush on his cheeks. "What?"

"Nothin' just thinking you're kinda cute when you blush." Alfred said, looking away as he spoke. Arthur's face heated up; going at least ten degrees warmer as he gave Alfred a half-hearted punch on the shoulder.

"S-Shut up git." Arthur mumbled, walking a little faster. Alfred laughed louder, keeping up easily before stopping for a moment, calling to Arthur. "Hey Artie, can we make a quick stop? I'd like to go into the comic shop!" he called.

Arthur sighed, stopping and spinning around. He was a bit hungry, but he supposed that there was no harm in it. "Alright fine, but not too long okay? I'm hungry."

Alfred nodded, giving the Brit a thumbs-up and a wink. "No problem! You won't even know I'm gone!" he announced, grabbing Arthur by the wrist and hurrying inside.

Arthur blushed at the contact but did his best to hide it as the bell above the door rang, signaling the entrance of a customer.

"Ah, Alfred-san? Sumimasen, I was not expecting you until Wednesday, so I don't have your comics…"

_That voice._

The comic shop was a fairly small place, actually, smaller than Arthur would have expected. The large windows had given it a big feel to it, but inside, it opened up to the front register with a few small aisles of bookshelves on either side. Standing behind the cash register, expression as neutral as ever; was Kiku Honda. If not for the boy's dark-brown eyes, which betrayed his surprise, Arthur would have thought the boy was just another life-size model like the other ones he could see in the store.

Kiku was a popular, though polite, member of the Newspaper club. He was one of the top contributors aside from Elizabeta, the Hungarian student. The two of them together were the greatest spies, sleuths, reporters, you name it. If you wanted information on the students, wanted the darkest secrets hidden by someone revealed, you only had to give them a good enough incentive and it would be done. The boy was always working hard on the next news article, either out looking for details or inside, busy writing articles in the comfort of his room with the three locks on it. Not that Arthur knew that by reading that certain article… (_Put simply, there was a whole news article on the top isolationists in the school. How annoying it was to find his, Arthur's, name in the top three_!)

"Kiku?" Arthur asked, looking at the short, raven-haired boy standing at the counter.

"A-Arthur-san?" The Japanese boy was shocked to see the class president in the establishment. About to politely ask what his business was here, he was interrupted by the second visitor.

"Haha! You two know each other! That's great, saves me the trouble of doing that formal stuff like "Arthur this is Kiku." And "Kiku this is Arthur."" He gave the two boys a thumbs-up, seeming somewhat satisfied with this.

"Ah, of course I would recognize the class president, Alfred-san…"

"I would know the Newspaper Clubs top member anywhere, Alfred."

Both boys spoke at the same time, blinking in surprise. Alfred laughed, eliciting a not-so-gentle nudge in the stomach from Arthur.

"Erk, well, anyways. I just came by to see if you had anything new, but since you said you didn't…" Alfred looked somewhat disappointed. "Oh but, Arthur and I are totally going o- Ouch! Dude, Arthur, why'd you do that again?"

Arthur didn't respond, rubbing his elbow where it hit the American's stomach. What did Alfred eat? Lead burgers?! It felt like elbowing a brick wall… No wonder he was on the football team of all things.

"Ah, Alfred-san, I think the boss may have a few new Avengers™ comics. Check the back aisle, maybe you'll find something." Kiku said, smiling slightly. He really didn't want any fighting happening in the shop, his boss would fire him on the spot and he really liked the discount he got on the manga section…

"Oh awesome! Okay, be right back!" Alfred gave Arthur's shoulder a quick pat and hurried off to find hidden paper treasures.

Arthur on the other hand frowned. If Alfred was going to be browsing and took even half the time he took when looking for a good book, they would be here well past lunchtime…

"Can't be helped I guess." Arthur sighed, muttering and walking over to the counter. He made a side glance at Kiku who was watching the aisle Alfred went down. The boy seemed a little nervous, but Arthur couldn't help but wonder why. Was it because Alfred went down there and there was a possible chance of the shelves coming down due to the American's carelessness. (After all, Alfred's klutziness could sometimes rival even Felicano's.) or was it perhaps, the tension from their past boiling over?

Arthur quickly shook his head. No, no need to think of failed romances now. They had made it perfectly clear that they were good friends now; able to get past that. He had to admit though, the time they spent together before his new-found infatuation with Alfred was nice…

"Alfred is a nice guy, Arthur-san." Kiku said gently, snapping Arthur from his thoughts. He noticed that Kiku failed to use the honorific. Was that on purpose? "Once you get past his normal… Odd self. You find he can be quite romantic and, well, smart."

"Erh, thanks?" Arthur said, a little confused. He kind of knew that. Or at least, he hoped. Though, perhaps Kiku was stretching it thinking that Alfred was smart.

Kiku shook his head, "Alfred is deeper than he seems. He hides his feelings well. Please don't judge him until you truly know the whole situation, okay?"

Arthur just nodded, still confused. "Right… I'll do that."

Kiku gave a nod of approval fixing his slightly slumped (_When did he get that way?_) position. As Alfred came back out of the aisle, holding a few books in his hand.

"Found some! This is awesome~ Who knew there would be so many in the back. Can I put these on hold, Kiku?" Alfred asked, his eyes sparkling as he placed the books on the counter.

Kiku nodded, "Right, I can do that. Will you pick them up Wednesday?"

"Yeah~ Along with my daily comics." Alfred said, nodding and casting a short smile at Arthur.

"Alright. See you then, Alfred-san." Kiku said, taking the books and putting them behind the counter.

Arthur scoffed, "Daily comics…"

"Mmhm, daily comics. I come here every Wednesday to pick them up." Alfred said, looking proud.

"Why not read something more challenging then? Like a novel?" Arthur asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Dude, no way! Comics have awesome pictures. Also colors! Comics have pictures and colors, and you sure can't find any BANG and POW action in a novel." Alfred said, putting emphasis on the BANG and POW, making extra effort to punch the air.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Sure, you can pretend these things are real books." He said, scoffing. He honestly saw no point in wasting time reading these things. When you read a normal novel, you'd increase your vocabulary, you'd stretch the imagination. Books like these were plain and simple, nothing challenging about them and static characters all the way through.

Alfred pouted, "Boo." He said, sticking out his tongue. "Next you'll be saying I should read something boring like Shakespeare."

Arthur spluttered, his calm demeanor failing him. Alfred did not just insult the great works of a famous playwright! "Oh no. No no no. You did not just insult Shakespeare in front of me."

Alfred smiled smugly. "Perhaps I did."

"Well at least Shakespeare has substance. You spend a Sunday evening reading a teenagers equivalent to toddler picture books and the best thing you get form them is how to discern a nut-job in tights as a hero and the ability to recite cheesy sound effects!" Arthur said, nodding to himself. That was pretty good.

"Oh it's on. You insult Captain America, you get burned." Alfred said, glaring and folding his arms too.

"Oh I didn't just insult that poor excuse of patriotism, I insulted them all." Arthur said, laughing as Alfred dramatically gasped. "In fact, it's just as bad as that bloody black and white comic. What's it called. Man-guh."

Kiku had been standing on the other side of the counter, head turning rapidly as the two in front of him continued to argue. He continually reminded himself not to butt in, to hold his tongue, but upon hearing Arthur's next remark he promptly slammed a hand down on the table.

"Do not insult the amazing hard work of Japanese manga artists! Their work is highly idolized and the mastered art of manga drawing is not something to be taken lightly! You should know that the manga genre has both historical significance and is spread everywhere throughout the world. The two dimensional art creations were the basis of many video games and many art styles everywhere. If you so much as compare them to these western copies Arthur-san, I will unleash my final move, Sincere Regret, on you and you will never be the same again!" Kiku yelled, eyes squeezed shut and shoulders hunched as his words came out in a long slew. Only a second later did he realize his mistake, composing himself and blushing slightly. "T-that is to say, Arthur-san. I would appreciate if you do not bring in manga" he made an effort to emphasize the pronunciation of the word, "into this argument."

Arthur and Alfred had nearly forgotten their argument, too shocked by the usually-calm Japanese boy's outburst to continue. That is until said boy brought the topic up again.

"Right, sorry Kiku." Alfred said, rubbing the back of his head before looking at Arthur. "Okay, then here-" he reached in his bag, pulling out two books and slipping them into Arthur's bag before the Brit could react. "You read these and-"he shuffled around Arthur's bag, pulling out a copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "I'll read this. Tonight. Fair enough?"

Arthur frowned, more concerned that Alfred had just freely reached into his bag. "How on Earth did you know I had that in my bag?"

"Dud, you always have something like that in your bag. You're always reading something with-" Alfred used his finger to make little air quotes. "-substance, in your bag."

Arthur glared. "Fine, I'll read your stupid books then tell you everything I hate about it tomorrow."

At this, Alfred grinned. "Tomorrow? I wasn't aware we were going to do something tomorrow too."

Blushing at his mistake, Arthur looked away. "I-Idiot! I mean, I just thought we would meet for tea or something. We certainly can't discuss these things in the comfort of school."

"Why not?" Alfred looked a little confused. "Is it because we'd-"

"Because people would get weird ideas. A-And besides, I don't want to be caught discussing" Arthur made a face "comic books. That seems like a betrayal to Shakespeare if you ask me."

Alfred was about to retort something, but Arthur stopped him, his stomach rumbling. The two boys next to him tried not to smile, the Brit casting a warning glare at the others.

"Look, forget about his now. If you're quite done Alfred, I'm starving. Let's go get lunch now."

At the mention of food, Alfred's expression did a turn-around. "Dude yeah! I'm hungry too! Let's go!" Without hesitation, Alfred grabbed Arthur's hand and hurried out the Comic shop, waving goodbye to Kiku as Arthur said a hasty farewell to the raven-haired boy.

Kiku waved, sighing in relief when the two boys left. His relieved expression changed to a sad frown as soon as they boys were out of sight.

"Alfred-san… I'm glad that you're happy now. You were right though; it would not have worked with us, would it?" Kiku mumbled, resting his chin in his hand as he leaned over the counter. Oh well, there was always his two-dimensional lovers.

"You are lucky. I hope you treat him well." He whispered, shutting his eyes. He wondered though, which one of them was he giving his good wishes to?

* * *

"Dude, you gonna finish that?" Alfred asked, pointing to the last few chips on Arthur's plate. He had long since finished his three burgers, something which Arthur was sure no one on Earth colud finish…

"No… No you can have them. That is if you still have room after those two milksh-" -And the chips were gone from his plate. Arthur stared at Alfred who was casually eating the last chip.

"Something on my face? You got this horrified expression, Artie." Alfred asked, clueless.

Arthur promptly shut his mouth, which was agape in surprise. "No… Not at all…"

_I wonder if he will die of a heart attack in the next few days?_ Arthur thought watching Alfred guzzle down the last of his soda._ I wonder how he hasn't had one already?_

"Okay, all done!" Alfred said, patting his stomach as the bill came along. He happily paid, Arthur offering to pay his half before Alfred waved it off. (_"I can't have my date pay for himself!")_

They left soon after, heading to the movie theater to catch the film. "An action movie that was rated 4.5/5 on the scary movie list!" according to Alfred.

"So, you're sure this is a good movie to see? It doesn't seem very, uh… Date-like?" Arthur said, not sure of the term to use. In general though, he would say "romantic". Speaking of though, he kept forgetting that his real goal should be to get Alfred to like him… Well, normally. He wasn't sure how much of the potion this date was, and how much of the real Alfred was invested in this. So far, aside from the occasional hand-holding, which mainly consisted of Alfred just grabbing his wrist and tugging him places, as well as the arguing over literature and the act of eating greasy food, nothing much had happened that he could consider very productive.

"Psh, sure it is! If you get scared or something, I'll totally be the hero for you! Plus, theres a little romance in it. You'll see!"

Arthur wasn't too sure…

* * *

"That was your idea of romantic?" Arthur asked, frowning as they left the theater. Apparently so. The American's idea of romantic was to watch a horror movie, of which said American spent at least two thirds of the time clinging to Arthur in fear, all the while the romance promised in the move was the sexy couple kissing before the chainsaw murderer cut them in half. Lovely.

Arthur's frown deepened as Alfred ran out of the theater into the fading light of the evening, stopping at the entrance to the nearby park. He had a relieved expression on his face as he hugged a lamp post.

"Light! Grass! Air!" Alfred called, sounding like a poor man stuck in a cave for years. "I love all of it!" Clearly he was mentally scarred by the final part, where there was nothing but a post-apocalyptic wasteland and only two survivors. One of which was still out to kill the other.

Arthur rolled his eyes, walking slowly towards the American. "Idiot…" HE wondered if he should just head the other way and pretend he didn't know the crazy teen who was currently hugging a tree…

"Artie!" Alfred waved, hand still on the tree and feeling the bark. Was the movie that scarring for Alfred?

"Stop using that stupid nickname!" Arthur said, stopping in front of Alfred. It was a half-hearted demand though. Intending for it to be fiercer, his annoyed feelings were cut in half when he saw the true look of joy on the American's face at touching the bark of a tree. Arthur felt like a serious sap…

"Dude, you know you love it." Alfred winked.

"S-Shush. Just walk, git." Arthur mumbled, Alfred complying and following like an eager puppy. It seemed he was feeling a little better now that he was outside and had touched a tree. Though Arthur couldn't help but snicker at how Alfred's eyes darted around the area.

The area itself was fairly quiet, having entered the park, everyone was leaving; flowing out of the entrance like a trickle of water. That left only himself and Alfred in the park, along with a few slower people, but it wasn't much of a threat. At least, to Arthur it wasn't.

"I wonder if old people can be chainsaw-murderer's too?" Alfred asked, eyeing a nearby old man who walked slowly on with his walked.

Arthur chuckled. "Alfred, I think you'll be fine."

"Right…" Alfred said, watching as the old man left the park before going back to his happy expression. Arthur thought it was a little cute, though, it was such an abrupt change all the time. Was this normal behavior?

"So what did you think of today?" Alfred asked, breaking Arthur's train of thoughts as he found himself looking at the Alfred's cheery expression, only a foot from his.

"Ah, it was… Fine." Arthur said, taken off guard. Alfred pouted and not wanting to disappoint, Arthur corrected himself. "I mean, I enjoyed it. The comic shop was a little off putting but the lunch made up for it."

"And the movie?" Alfred asked, eyes wide.

"Uh… Positively charming." Arthur said.

"Great! Then today's date was a success." Alfred fist-pumped. "All that's left is one awesome walk and a kiss on the cheek after walking you home."

Arthur nearly choked on air, if that was really possible. "What! A kiss on the what?!"

Alfred pointed to his cheek. "Cheek? Ya know, the squishy thing over here? I can ask that right? I mean, we went on a good date and stuff?"

"Well that is, I mean, no, I mean yes, it's just, erh…." Arthur struggled to form a coherent sentence. He didn't expect Alfred to be that forward. Or that blunt.

"Please? I mean, I know I said. Well, tried to say, it before but I mean… After today, it's definite ya know? It's really fast yeah, but I really do lo-"

Arthur placed a finger over Alfred's mouth, the light from the street lamps suddenly flicking on as the last of the sun set behind the horizon. His emerald eyes bore into Alfred's sky blue ones, a silent message passed, though not received. Arthur wished he could say it himself, but…

"Don't Alfred. Not yet, please? I want to…" Arthur hesitated. To what? "I-I want to wait until we spend a little more time together. You understand, right?"

Alfred just nodded, looking sad as he looked down at the ground; Arthur removing his hand and letting it rest at his side. "Y-Yeah, okay…" Alfred mumbled, Arthur couldn't stand seeing that look…

"Hey, it's getting late. Let's head home or we'll both be up too late to read these books." Arthur said gently, taking initiative and reaching for Alfred's hand. He took it in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Alfred looked up, like a child to his parent, and nodded. "Okay Artie." He said, trying to smile. He gave Arthur's hand a squeeze and they headed to Arthur's home. Arthur decided that just this once, he wouldn't complain about the nickname.

* * *

"Thank you for the nice day, Alfred. I did have fun." Arthur said, standing on the steps leading up to his home. He adjusted the collar on his coat, looking down at the American who looked up. Like this, he was actually taller than Alfred, a fact that made him smile a bit.

Alfred smiled too, though he was thinking of different reasons to smile. "So, can I come tomorrow? I mean, can we meet?"

Arthur pondered for a second. Yes, he was free tomorrow… Should he? "I-I suppose. My parents will be out tomorrow. You could come over for lunch. How does that sound? I could cook something?"

Alfred internally winced. He had heard from many that Arthur's cooking was… Less than par, but it would be rude to run it down. Plus it was Arthur… "Sure! Sounds great!"

"What? Are you being truthful or just being stu-" Arthur was shocked, someone accepted his offer of home cooking?! Normally people just ran away… "I-I mean, sure. Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, catching himself. He quickly opened the door to his home, shutting his mout to avoid any further embarrassment. He stopped just before entering though.

Alfred laughed, loudly. Was it that surprising to Arthur that someone was going to accept his offer? That fact made Alfred feel a little bit proud of himself, but also extremely nervous. People chose not to come for a reason, after all. "Right, see you then." Alfred said, chuckling and turning around, about to walk down the steps.

"Alfred…"

Alfred stopped, turning his head, "Hm?" His eyes widened in shock as Arthur placed a quick peck on his cheek.

"A-Artie?"

"…Never said I wouldn't, git." Arthur mumbled before running up the stairs and shutting the door before Alfred could say anything in response.

Alfred grinned ear to ear as he left Arthur's place, feeling on top of the world.

Arthur however, was leaning against the front door, staring at the coat rack a foot in front of him as he placed a pale hand on his lips. He felt his cheeks heat up and wanted to yell at them to stop. He was blushing so much today! It was a miracle he hadn't had a stroke from all the blood flowing to his head.

But this was Alfred. He had been infatuated ever since that day.

"I wonder if he remembers." Arthur mumbled. Maybe he should bring it up next time? Would that be romantic or would it just be an awkward memory?

That reminded him… Alfred… Arthur knew what the boy was going to say. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to hear those words form Alfred. Why, his heart ached to hear those words from the American, but something inside him told him to stop those words. Stop them before they came out. Honestly, he didn't understand. Why? Why would he want to postpone something like this?

"What the bloody hell is wrong with me." Arthur muttered, sighing and heading deeper into the home. It was time to think of something to cook for Alfred tomorrow. Maybe it would be a good distraction.

* * *

The next day, Arthur woke early, running around his home and cleaning up. His annoying older brothers always left a mess, and he most certainly couldn't let Alfred see that.

He was dressed in a pink apron, something that was his mother's mind you, with a casual ensemble of a casual white shirt and brown slacks with the plain black indoor shoes and socks covering his feet and protecting them from the cool drafts of the house. He was fully prepared to cook when Alfred came.

"He should be here by now…" Arthur muttered, looking at the clock above his head. "What's taking him so long?"

Almost on cue, Arthur heard a knock on the door. He quickly adjusted his clothes, making sure they looked okay before running to the door and opening it. He attempted to look casual, not like a boy who was excited to see his friend… Or boyfriend. What did Alfred currently count as? Definitely not a boyfriend yet, that wouldn't be right considering he was under the influence of the love potion…

"Hey!" Alfred was grinning, standing in his classic brown bomber jacket with jeans and a plain white t-shirt. "Sorry I'm late! My brother Mattie told me that when you go to someone's home you should bring a present the first time. I had to run to the store on the way here and brought this~" he held up a jar of jam.

"Jam?" Arthur raised one bushy eyebrow, "Out of all you could have brought?"

Alfred looked a bit lost for words. "Well, I mean, British guys have stuff to put jam on right? Like, croissants?"

Arthur twitched, "That's _French_ cuisine, Alfred. You're probably thinking about scones."

"Ooooh… Then they also have those tasty long bread sticks, right?"

"Baguettes? Yes, yes they do. Now, tell, would you like your French baguette up your arse or you you just like to be kicked on your arse." Arthur asked, feeling his eye twitch at the use of the French term.

Alfred chuckled awkwardly, "A-ah, well I'd prefer my butt on a chair so I can eat your food. I'm starving."

At that, Arthur lost his words. So Alfred really did want to have his cooking? The sour moment seemed to do a 18o° turn, turning into something of relative sweetness, if not for the mention of French cuisine that hung in the Brit's home.

"W-Well, can't be helped. Come inside." Arthur said, mumbling and he stepped aside to let the boy in.

Alfred grinned and walked in, his head turning every which-way and taking in the comfortable indoors of Arthur's home. "Dud, your house is neat. So much bigger than mine." He said, the pale walls of the hallways making the place seem brighter. There was a staircase going upstairs and a few doors to the side which must have led to other rooms like a living room. Straight down the hallways, he could see what looked like an island, and assumed it must be the kitchen.

"Well, that's probably because we need more space. Big families need space, it's a given." Arthur said, walking towards the kitchen and waiting for Alfred to follow. There was a small table in there he could sit in while he cooked. Somehow he the idea of leaving Alfred alone in the house while he cooked seemed like a bad idea.

Alfred followed like a puppy, stopping at a photo of Arthur's family. "Heh, I'll say its big. You got a lot of siblings? Or are they cousins?" Alfred scratched his chin, wondering.

"They would be my brothers, but it's far from heaven here." Arthur muttered, looking around for the flour. "They're a bunch of bullies who like to pick on the youngest of them."

"Heh, that's true. It's fun to pick on Mattie. I'd say it's just a way of showing affection." Alfred said optimistically, sitting in a chair by the island.

Arthur scoffed, "If you count broken bones and daily swirlies, then yes, I can just feel their love pouring over me." He said sarcastically.

"Tough love?" Alfred said, not deterred.

Shaking his head, Arthur continued in his kitchen feat, mixing things in a bowl. Alfred didn't see anything wrong with the way Arthur was cooking. Yet.

"So what'cha making?" he asked, curious.

"Well, since you brought jam, I'm making scones. I had made stew too, it's in that pot. Only, with the scones, I think you might not be hungry enough to-"

"Yeah! Stew!" Alfred fist-pumped the air before grinning slyly. "Stew me up, baby~" He said smoothly causing Arthur to halt his motions and slowly turn to Alfred.

Alfred laughed, nearly falling off his chair, "Pfth, ahaha! I couldn't help it! It was just there, you totally set yourself up for it." He chuckled, trying to calm his laughter before Arthur slugged him. With that wooden spoon, who knew what Arthur could achieve?

Arthur's glare could pierce metal walls. "Yes well. Here is your stew. Be glad I didn't poison it. Idiot." Arthur said, pouring the finished stew into a bowl for Alfred, passing him the bowl carefully so as not to spill.

Alfred thanked Arthur, staying quiet as he took the spoon and prepared to take a bite. Probably for the best that not a peep came from him, as Arthur was staring down at him, the spoon rising up and down in his hand as he tapped it against his shoulder menacingly.

Taking a hesitant bite of the stew, Arthur's scone-making process put on hold as he watched Alfred hesitantly. Alfred chewed then swallowed before looking at Arthur.

Arthur himself was on pins and needles, having had one too many critics of his poor cooking. He waited for Alfred to react poorly, that becoming the norm for those who managed to eat his food and still be sitting on the chair.

Instead, Alfred surprised the Brit by smiling, his eyes shining. "Woah! That's great stew!" he said, turning back to the bowl and beginning to eat faster now.

"W-what?!"

Alfred nodded, his mouth full of stew. "Yeah! The burned meat makes it taste kinda chewy and gives it more uh, substance? But it's really tasty Artie. Like it. I don't see why other people don't like it." He said, swallowing. He held up his empty bowl and looked at Arthur, putting on his best face. "Please sir, may I have some more." He asked with a strained English accent.

Arthur laughed, curious to know if Alfred was quoting the book or if he was simply playing with Arthur, then flushed as he realized Alfred actually wanted more and then fell silent wondering if Alfred was just joking and about to say "Haha, just kidding!"

When he didn't, Arthur nodded taking the bowl and spinning around to get the American some more. Someone actually liked his cooking and didn't run to the nearest bathroom?! It was a miracle. Something he could rub in the Frog's face later, that's for sure.

"Yo, so are you gonna make the scones?" Alfred asked, his mouth half-full of stew.

Arthur tsk-ed, "Chew, swallow then talk Alfred." He said shaking his head in disapproval before turning back to the counter and continuing to prepare the scones.

They sat like this for a good hour, casually talking as the scones baked in the oven. Both were content in enjoying each other's company as the smell of scones filled the air.

"Oh hey! So, uh, I'm still reading the book of yours. I'm not quite finished though." Alfred said, looking down. Arthur chuckled, "Well it is a big book for you. It's okay if you keep it an extra day. Give it back to me tomorrow."

Alfred pouted, his cheeks puffing out. "Hey, it's not a "big" book. It's just hard to understand. All these "Thoust's" and "Mayhaps" and all that."

Arthur chuckled, of course Alfred would struggle with the Shakespearian terms. But it was still amusing to hear he tried. He himself had fallen asleep reading those comic books Alfred had given him, and as such, wasn't finished. But he wouldn't let Alfred know that. "Until you finish that, I'll hold on to your comic books." Arthur said.

"Why? You finished 'em already, right? I brought the nest two for you to read in exchange." Alfred asked, confused. It took him only a moment to morph his confused expression to one of amusement. "You didn't finish, did you?"

Arthur spluttered, "O-Of course I did! I'm just saying if I give them to you now, how will I know I get my book back!?"

Alfred made a face. "Like I would keep this book of alien language. Besides, I said I had two others to give you. I'd just get those back. Now fess up Artie, you didn't finished either."

Arthur frowned, "Fine, I didn't. Happy?"

Alfred laughed, "Very~"

It was then that Arthur noticed a strange smell that broke through his angry demeanor and the gentle smells of the kitchen. "Oh bloody hell, the scones!" he cried, running to the oven and pulling out what looked like a rack of blackened rocks. Alfred stared at the black cloud coming from the now-open oven.

"Uh…" Alfred, looked to Arthur who was busily scraping some burnt parts off one of the scones.

"Bollocks, no matter how much I scrape, it's been burned through." Arthur said sadly, placing the utensil and food down on the metal sheet. He pose was hunched over, and his expression, or what Alfred could catch of it, looked like one of a kicked kitten.

Without thinking, Alfred reached over and grabbed a burned scone. (Was it just him, or was it _really_ heavy?) "Don't worry Artie. I'm sure it tastes just fine!" he said.

Before Arthur could react, Alfred took a large bite of the burned rock and began chewing it with difficulty before swallowing.

Alfred was glad he had a tamed gag-reflex after stuffing so many burgers into his mouth. As soon as the scone hit his stomach, he could literally feel a weight actually rest in the confines of his belly. He tried not to grimace, coughing once, twice, three times, before weakly looking up at Arthur. "See, it's perfectly alright!"

Arthur stared at Alfred stunned, "Are… Are you _trying _to kill yourself?!" he said, arms flailing. "Even I wouldn't have eaten that scone Alfred! For the love of the Queen, how are you still standing?!"

Laughing and placing the scone down with a slight grimace, Alfred's stomach turned and he tried to quell it with a quick sip of stew. "Well, I mean, I didn't want to see you so sad Artie. I'd totally take a bullet, or burned scone, for ya any day." He said, winking. "Burned scones have nothing against the Hero!" He struck an epic pose, eyes shining. If he could do that, he must be indestructible.

Arthur couldn't help but smile, though it felt bittersweet somehow. He shrugged the feeling off and tossed the rest of the scones out into the garbage can before looking at Alfred, who had a hand on his stomach. "Well, maybe I should make a new batch of scones for-"

"No!" Alfred shouted, startling Arthur. The American didn't want to chance another burned batch. "I-I mean, the stew is great Artie, it's really filling me up. You were right in saying that two things are a bit much." He said shakily, trying to save himself.

"Right well, would you care to go on a walk in a moment; to walk off the food?" Arthur asked, seeming to accept that explanation.

Alfred nodded, though looked at Arthur quizzically, "But you haven't even eaten."

The Brit waved it off, "I had a small snack before you came. Don't worry Alfred." He said, starting to clean the kitchen.

Shrugging, Alfred didn't argue. "If ya say so." He said, finishing his stew. Arthur cleared the table quickly and within a few moments they found themselves standing outside the door, each bundled in their outdoor clothes and looking somewhat lost.

"So… Where are we walking to?" Alfred asked as the stood in the cold. In the spur of the moment, they hadn't actually decided a destination. The sun was beginning to set, the shadows growing longer as it dipped down. The air was crisp and cold as it whipped against their cheeks. Arthur exhaled, letting out a small puff of steam.

"How about…. We just walk that way?" Arthur asked, pointing to the west. "If we keep heading that way, we'll hit the town outskirts with all the hills. We could turn around by the time we get there and it will count as a long walk, right?"

Alfred's eyes shined. "Town outskirts? Oh hey, I know a neat place there. When we get there, I can take you up!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, unsure if he should follow such a plan. Still, the eager look on Alfred's face and he was caught, hook, line and sinker.

"Alright, but only for a moment. We still have a long walk and by the time we get there, I bet we will be too tired to go up." He said huffily, Alfred nodding.

Alfred nodded, "Awesome!" he said happily, jumping from the steps of Arthur's home and waiting for Arthur to follow. "Let's go~"

* * *

The walk there was uneventful, the two simply shared a few words, discussing basic subjects and comparing interests. Some information they gleaned was surprising; such as how Alfred wanted to be a physicist or maybe a doctor. He had expected him to want to be a professional athlete or even a gym instructor. Something that utilizes his great strength and his charisma.

"Doctors save lives daily! Like awesome hero's, right?" was his reasoning. "Besides, I don't just want to help people; I want to help people that need it. If they're hurt or something, I could heal them."

Arthur tried his best not to point out that doctors can also lose lives too; he didn't want to be a wet blanket…

Some things they discussed though, were fairly obvious, or at least, helped confirm suspicions. In Alfred's case, he had figured Arthur would want a quiet job and confirmation came when Arthur said he would try for something in the Language Art's field.

"Maybe a teacher or something. I could probably swing something in the business department even." Arthur had said, making Alfred laugh at the mental image of Arthur trying to teach disobedient teenagers.

They talked about family and friends, and even managed to touch the more personal topics as the sun continued to set, the air dropping in temperature. They never seemed to notice though as the continued to talk.

"-yeah and that's how I found out I liked guys~" Alfred said with pride.

"Erh…"

"Well how about you then?"

"Well I just kind of did… It certainly didn't involve carnivals and monkeys though."

"Psh, lame."

It was these little conversations that made the walk to the hills seem to fly by in a heartbeat. During which Arthur somehow felt, even though it was only a single hour and a half of walking, like he had known Alfred his whole life. He felt his heart drawn even more to Alfred now; and couldn't help but sigh. He wondered if Alfred felt the same. Was it enough for the potion to work? Was Alfred already feeling it wear off? What they discussed was more on a friendship basis, not really love… It was so frustrating to him, to continue to stress about that bloody potion and it's stupid requirements.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Alfred spoke up, eyes wandering up as he felt Alfred nudge him.

"Hey, come with me! Were near the place." Alfred said with an excited wink. The sun was nearly gone, leaving behind a vast amount of dark sky with just a faint hint of orange and light blue on the horizon.

Surrounding them was nothing but grassy hills, a few trees and shrubs here and there and the main roads out of the town stretching behind and around the many hills lain out across the area. Dry grass crunched under their feet as Alfred walked up a fairly steep hill, never going in front of Arthur but helping him up the steep slope to the top.

Arthur wondered what exactly made this hill so special, the chilly night air beginning to get to him as he struggled over a rock jutting out of the hill. His shoes weren't right for climbing, meaning he kept slipping on the grass, leaving Alfred to tug him up and prevent him from falling smack-dab on his face.

On the thirteenth (or was it the fourteenth) slip-up, Alfred announced, "We're here! Awesome." Arthur rested his hands on his knees, happy to walk on evening ground as they reached the top. He might as well have been mountain climbing. He panted trying to catch his breath and perhaps silently cursing Alfred for being so fit and all. The American didn't seem to be breaking a sweat, just standing next to him.

"Yo Artie, look up quick. The suns nearly gone, I think we just made it!" Alfred chimed, tapping Arthur's bent-over back.

Complying, albeit still out of breath, Arthur stood up straight before gasping in awe.

From where he stood, he could see the town. It was still fairly close, they didn't go that far from it, but the high hill they just climbed gave them a birds-eye view of the town. The sun was indeed setting, the last rays fading, but what took Arthur's breath away was the sudden transition between a simple view of cement buildings ranging from different sizes to a sudden light—show. The moment the sun was gone, the town seemed to transform as lights flicked on, seeming to start from the center and spreading out to the edges until the entire town glowed in the dark. It was the only light source for miles, the light from the town shining up to their faces while behind them was nothing but darkness.

It wasn't romantic really, far from it, but something about it took his breath away nonetheless. Alfred chuckled. "Yep, right on time. 6pm exactly!"

"It's quite a stunning view." Arthur said simply, watching as lights that he suspected were cars moved in interesting patterns. They must have been awfully high up to be able to see a view like this.

"Haha, yeah! I came out here a few times just to get away from things. This was my favorite spot out of all the places, totally isolated and nice 'n quiet."

"Heh, you don't strike me as the quiet, relaxed type, lad."

"Yeah… But you are, so I thought this spot would be nice for you to know about. There's actually a little path over there that leads back to town. I just took a on the cooler route." Alfred said, pointing to a small stone path, nearly unnoticeable under the tall, dried grass.

Arthur turned to look at Alfred, planning to reprimand the American for not telling him about the easy path before he stopped. The light form the town shone on Alfred's face; it looked like he was glowing. The hill being so tall, there were no other hills to block the background and as they were so high up, there was nothing but black sky, stars twinkling behind the tall boy. His blue eyes were gazing at the town, though they seemed to sparkle somehow.

Arthur felt his mouth go dry as Alfred turned to look at him, a gentle smile on his face. To Arthur's subconscious surprise, they were only a foot from each other's face. When did that happen?

Alfred's eyes darted over Arthur's face, seeming to ask a silent question that Arthur couldn't pick up. He was to entranced, cheesy as it sounded, by Alfred's beauty. Those blue eyes looking into his were consuming him in a sea.

Very slowly, Alfred leaned forwards and Arthur soon felt soft lips touching his own. It was funny, there was no fireworks like one would expect. No strange spark between them that stories tell about. It was just silence, with the occasional wind blowing between their bodies.

But as the seconds wore past, Arthur couldn't help but think "His lips are so soft… Perfect…"

They parted then, Alfred's eyes shining, his cheeks a little darker than before he leaned in for the kiss. "Arthur, I love you." He said, leaning in and kissing Arthur again before pulling back. He grinned. His voice when he said that; it was so light in Arthur's ears, so full of… Honesty.

That was when the moment shattered for Arthur. It was so sudden; as if Alfred had just said that and punched Arthur in the stomach at the same time. It was with those words that made hime realize why in the past few days his heart truly ached when he thought of Alfred saying such words. Why he hesitated before.

"No… No you don't" Arthur whispered, so softly that the next cold gust of wind seemed to swallow them up and blow them away. It was as though, despite such heavy words being spoken, they were hollow and held no substance. The chill the breeze brought couldn't rival the cold feeling that settled in Arthur's heart at his realization.

"Sorry, what was that Artie?" Alfred asked.

Arthur couldn't stop the tears that formed in his eyes and soon they spilled over and fell down his cheeks, before dropping onto the dry grass. His thin frame trembled, making him seem even smaller.

"Woah, Arthur! Are you okay? Why are you crying? Did I do something?" Alfred asked, panicking and moving forwards, scooping Arthur in a hug.

Arthur shook his head, trying desperately to repress his tears. To Alfred, he knew he looked silly, but he didn't care. They stood that way for ten whole minutes before Alfred shakily suggested they head home and after a long, silent walk, they reached Arthur's home where Arthur assured Alfred that he did nothing wrong before the boy left to head home, telling him he'll see Arthur tomorrow.

_I thought I stopped him those times because I just wasn't ready. _Arthur thought as he lay in his bed in the darkness of his room.

_But I was wrong… It wasn't that. _Arthur stared at the ceiling, feeling his eyes water._ All these things he's been doing. The kind gestures and the friendliness even. The words and the… the kiss. _

"It's not him… He's influenced by the potion. It's not real." Arthur whispered, feeling a tear fall down the side of his face. Today had been one of the best days of his life, so to say. He had spent time with Alfred; gotten a true kiss and shared some of their personal history even. It was a painful memory though; with this realization. Only it was one he would lock in a chest and save forever as he whispered what he realized on the walk home.

"I can't make this effect permanent. I can't do that to him either. I doubt you could make them truly fall in love with you if you give them a potion anyways. Besides, what will he think when it wears off tomorrow? How could he like, let alone love me when he figures out what I've done? It was a hopeless task the moment it was suggested, wasn't it?" Arthur muttered. He felt more warm tears fall down his face as he tried his best to sink into a restless sleep; dreaming about what he wished could be.

* * *

The next day, Arthur came to school early again. He felt as though he had a dark cloud over his head as he decided to head to his Magic Club. Maybe some tinkering with a few demon summoning spells might make his mood better. He could send one to Francis for suggesting such a stupid idea in the first place.

However, as soon as he reached the door of the club, he found it unlocked. One of his bushy eyebrows raised in confusion as he gently opened the door, hearing voices stream from inside reach his ears.

"_-effects end today, huh?"_ That was Lukas' voice, right? Was he talking with someone?

"_Yeah. I don't know what to say though. He ended up crying yesterday actually; I worried I did something wrong." _Huh? Was that Alfred's voice? What was he doing in there?

"_Nah, I doubt you did. Arthur's always a bit sensitive."_Vlad, definitely Vlad. But What were they discussing with Alfred?

"_That information just makes telling him harder you know." _Telling him? Who was him? Were they discussing him? Arthur was confused… What were those three talking about?

"_You still haven't told him that the potion is a fake?"_

Arthur took a step back. Potion? Were… Were they discussing the love potion? Did that mean Alfred knew? But wait, Lukas just said…

Taking another step back, Arthur stumbled on the carpet, his foot hitting the door as he landed hard on his bottom. He stared at the door with shock. Was… Was this whole thing a fake? This whole time, did they all know?

Arthur barely registered that the voices had suddenly stopped, the sound of footsteps approaching the door in front of him snapped him from his daze and he scrambled up, spinning on his heel and running down the hall.

_No, no, they couldn't. They couldn't be that cruel._ Arthur thought as he ran down the long hallway. He just wanted to get away from there. How could they? His two friends and Alfred, they knew from the beginning the potion was fake? How about Francis, did he know too? Did they all enjoy twisting his heart into a knot? To take his emotions and smash them to pieces, leaving him a confused, empty boy?

It wasn't until Arthur made it outside in the school courtyard that he slowed to a walk, finding a nearby bench and collapsing on top of it. He sat staring at the ground, his eyes for some odd reason staying perfectly dry. Was he out of tears, having used them all up last night when he thought about his hopeless situation?

"Well no need for that anymore. There never was one." Arthur muttered angrily. He cursed himself for being so naïve and eating up everyone's lies.

"_Alfred is a nice guy, Arthur-san."_ Was what Kiku said. Did even Kiku know the plan? Did everyone betray his trust?

Arthur felt his mind swirl with angry thoughts as he glanced around the area. He suddenly realized just where he was; scoffing and smirking, though not amused at all. Just hating the irony.

This place was where he fell in love with Alfred that long time ago.

He was currently dating Kiku and this development wasn't unnoticed by others. Aside from the Polish exchange student with his Lithuanian boyfriend, only Arthur was left and openly (Or at least, comfortable with others knowing) gay.

A few of the homophobes of the school had accosted him that day, calling him names, cornering him and proceeding to beat him up.

When being called names, Arthur was okay. He could easily snuff them out with every retort he imagined himself saying back, but the physical abuse; it was hard to hold his own against that. From every direction a fist came at him, he had tried to protect his face at least, shutting his eyes as the others around him taunted him.

Arthur had waited for the fist to make contact with his body yet again.

But it never did.

"Yo, you guys should pick on someone your own size." Was the first time Arthur had heard Alfred's voice.

He had looked up to see Alfred single-handedly fighting off the gang. At the same time, the boy had been telling off every single one of those verbal abusers. Pretty soon they were either on the ground or dispersed. No one wanted to start a verbal fight with the American. He had been known as one of the best vocal arguers; debaters if he would, in the school at the time.

It was that day that made Arthur see Alfred in a different light. Before this, he saw Alfred as another popular jockey, a guy who was narcissist and liked the attention. Who would probably stick his tongue out at the gays and hang with the popular airheads. Now upon seeing Alfred actually stand up for him; a random British student in the school that was openly dating one of the strangest students in the school… His respect for Alfred just multiplied exponentially.

In the next while, Arthur felt himself change too. He no longer wanted to be a target. He wanted to be strong like Alfred, only he had no muscles. Instead he aimed for Student Council, leaving behind Kiku after their failed attempt and began to watch Alfred. He would admit he felt a bit betrayed by Kiku when he learned of his next relationship, going so far as the confiscate the raven-haired boy's camera for a made-up regulation.

For the next while, Arthur struggled with his feelings for Alfred. He didn't think Alfred was playing for that kind of "team" until Kiku took him, and now, after hearing the news of their relationship ending just a few months ago, his feelings doubled and tripled.

Now of course, his feelings reached an all-out low. Arthur glared angrily at the ground. How foolish he was… Absently, he remembered he had meant to ask Alfred if he remembered such an incident, but the time for that was long gone now.

"I remember this place." A humbled voice said from behind Arthur's seat.

Oh no… No, no, no. He could_ not _handle this now. Not while the wound in his heart was still fresh. He refused to turn around, but Alfred saved him the effort and came around the bench to sit beside him.

Arthur visibly stiffened, looking at anything aside from Alfred, who sat quietly on the bench, seeming to wait for something.

Arthur still said nothing, hoping that the silence would give Alfred a clear enough hint to leave. He didn't want to hear Alfred's voice; actually, he didn't want to be around anyone period, but… He did want to know- "-why?"

Alfred looked up, seeming to be pleased that he elicited a reaction from Arthur. Although, he hoped Arthur would elaborate.

"Why… Did you trick me like that?" Arthur asked, feeling his lost rage build. It was so sudden, it took him off guard, but his body acted on it immediately, swinging around to face Alfred with blazing green eyes. They held hurt and mistrust as they rested on Alfred, who visibly flinched away.

"In fact, why did you even help me those years ago, huh? Was it because you just wanted to toy with my emotions from day one?"

"What do you-"

"Don't give me that! From day one, Alfred! Ever since that day, dammit! Ever since that stupid day I fell for you. Do you know how painful it is to see your ex-lov… Your friend, date the boy you liked? They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I can vouch for it. I didn't think it would be this strong, but it just evolved." Arthur let out a growl of frustration, "Thirteen times, Alfred! Thirteen times since the day you and Kiku were done, I tried to get you to understand my feelings; make you even remotely aware of them. Thirteen times of frustrating failure. This fourteenth I finally resort to a frog's advice and I find out that all of you had been playing me like an instrument!" Arthur squeezed his eyes shut; what was the use hiding his feelings now? After this, he would never associate with Alfred again, even if it meant his heart would have to be locked away forever. "Damn you to hell, Alfred F. Jones! I bloody love you and you threw it in my face."

Alfred was fairly speechless now, staring at Arthur confused. Arthur wanted to punch the stupid American, right in the nose… He could feel his tears falling from his eyes, feel his face heat from anger, but the bitter anger he felt could not rival the sting deep in his heart.

Alfred's expression was unreadable to Arthur from behind his veil of blurry tears. He had stood up in anger and now he was staring down at Alfred.

For once Alfred was speechless not a sound coming from him; his lips drawn in a flat line as his brow furrowed. Without hesitation he reached forwards, brushing a tear from Arthur's eye. His sky-blue orbs stared into Arthur's own eyes.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered and Arthur felt his tears speed up, falling in rivers instead of trickles.

Alfred stood now, surprising Arthur and taking him in his arms as he enclosed the Brit in a tight embrace, burying his face in the cook of Arthur's neck. "Arthur, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you like this…"

Arthur opened his mouth to snap back, still angry, but all that came out was a pitiful whine and he buried his face in Alfred's shoulder, feeling his tears wet Alfred's shirt. They stayed that way for a moment as Arthur's silent sobs tapered into a gentle sniffle as his shoulders ceased their shaking and his eyes began to dry. The courtyard was silent; students rarely coming early, so it was just two boys standing in an embrace under the morning sun.

When Alfred felt Arthur's sobs cease, he decided to speak. His voice was low and hesitant. As though he was afraid that every word that came from his mouth had the chance of breaking Arthur as easy as glass.

"Please.. Will you hear me out before you leave Arthur?" Alfred asked, releasing Arthur and stepping back. He knew Arthur was still angry; would probably leave, but he wanted just one chance to explain.

Arthur looked up at Alfred, his expression neutral. He considered this, though more than half his mind screamed no. He just wanted to be alone; how much more humiliation could he stand today? Only something stopped the rejection from exiting his mouth.

"_Alfred is deeper than he seems. He hides his feelings well. Please don't judge him until you truly know the whole situation, okay?"_

It was as though Kiku was standing next to him as the words he heard in the shop were repeated in his brain. Suddenly Arthur was back in a moment with Kiku, when he had a short tempered bout, Kiku's calm face, his caring eyes and his hand touching Arthur's to calm him. Arthur felt his rage dissipate.

"Fine." Arthur muttered, intending for it to address both Alfred and the ghost-Kiku voice. He would listen to Alfred this one more time; if only because he did tell Kiku that he would.

Alfred's face broke out into a grin before it fell again as he tried to be serious. "Thank you…"

Nodding his head dismissively, a mental wall forming around him, Arthur waited for the explanation. No matter what was said, he had made up his mind… He would not allow Alfred to manipulate his feelings again.

"Okay… So, you see, I-" Alfred trailed off, his posture shifting from confident to something more shy and nervous. It was odd to Arthur, to see Alfred suddenly fold into himself, and look… Smaller.

Alfred coughed, looking away. "So, I-I love y- No that's not a good way to start… I-I"

Arthur rolled his eyes, finding this to be highly unconvincing. "Just start from the beginning Alfred."

"Y-Yeah. Okay… Beginning. That would have to be…" Alfred looked around, eyes resting on where they stood. "Here. That day, I'm sure you were referring to it; when I came and beat up those guys right? You remember?"

Arthur nodded skeptically. That was definitely a beginning of sorts… But he had already explained his part. He fell in love with Alfred and Alfred stepped on his emotions like they were hot coals he could toss in the water and put out with ease. How was this supposed to make anything okay?

"Y-You also said that… You fell in love with me that day?" Alfred said, not waiting for a response as his cheeks suddenly flushed. "Well… S-Same goes for me."

Arthur was caught off guard. What?!

"S-See… When I saw you in trouble, I had just intended to go over and find out the trouble, you know. Maybe get a teacher to solve it. I didn't want to get too involved to be honest. But… But when I got close enough to hear what they were bullying you about Arthur… I got more involved than I thought." Alfred said hesitantly.

"When I saw you… I just… I ran in blindly. I don't know what possessed me though; I just… Didn't think. The only thought I was thinking was… I would save you and be a hero."

Arthur scoffed but Alfred held up a hand, not finished. "But I didn't want to be just a hero Arthur… I wanted to be your hero. I-I'll admit that maybe the beginning was even earlier, okay? But that first day when school just started and you, well… Do you remember?"

Arthur nodded, eyeing Alfred. "Yes. That was the day some idiot ran into me and we ended up in a puddle. He ran away before I could get a good look at him though… Oi, don't tell me that was you!" his expression changed as he glared at Alfred, eyes burning with anger that bubbled up. "I hope you're proud! I had to get rid of those clothes because of the mud at the bottom of the puddle! I walked around damp the rest of the day too! You ba-"

"Yeah, that was me. I- I wasn't great with talking to people and I had heard that you were a scary person to meet and your eyebrows had these kind of weird brow-beams that would vaporize someone if you didn't like them. So I was gonna just bump into you and apologize then talk to ya. Only, there was a wet spot 'cause of the rain and stuff and yeah…" Alfred trailed off, getting a bit off topic as Arthur's expression intensified.

"You could have bloody told me you-"

"But I mean, I wanted to be friends and all… But when I crashed into ya and stuff I… I don't know, my heart beat faster and- and…" Alfred looked around, seeming to suddenly find the nearby shrub very interesting. "Look, I say the beginning was when I beat up those guys because it was the day I realized that I liked you Arthur." Alfred said, cutting Arthur off.

"Then why did you choose Kiku, Alfred? Why didn't you just tell me after? I broke up with Kiku because I was too stuck on you." Arthur said, emphasizing the you. "I… Kiku could tell and it just… flopped."

"I guess I just assumed maybe you were playing for the other team and Kiku was like, a test or something." Alfred said, ignoring the look of surprise on Arthur's face that changed into one of "You bloody idiot"

"Look, I made dumb mistakes, but… I broke up with Kiku shortly after, right?" Alfred added. "I guess Kiku could tell I was stuck on you as well."

A silence fell over the two, how stupid this whole thing was…

"That doesn't explain why you tricked me. Not to mention got everyone else I know to go along with it." Arthur muttered, bitterness seeping out with his words. He told himself that none of this mattered anyways; what did was the situation now.

"Yes it does." Alfred said confidently. "Because I was too scared to talk to you Arthur… Just like how you were to me."

Arthur spluttered. "Scared?! Excuse me idiot, I was the one who tried thirteen times to talk to you!"

"Ah, well, then I was. But I'm also airheaded remember?" Alfred replied, tapping his head. Arthur felt his eye twitch. That wasn't something to be proud of!

"So, like you, I went to Francis, only a few days before ya. He suggested a love potion to me; but I refused to do that to you. What was the point of forced love, right?"

Arthur gulped but nodded, "Y-Yeah…"

"But Francey-pants had a better idea. He heard you outside his door a few times before and suspected you were trying to talk to him. By the way you got some serious cold feet Artie." Alfred added, "Hehe, but he devised the plan ya know? I thought it was pretty good, except for the part where I had to tell you later about how the potion wasn't real."

Alfred sighed, looking at Arthur's still-angry expression. "Look, I guess what I'm trying to say is… That these past couple of day Artie… It… It was real."

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. No! He yelled at himself, no letting this idiot sway you. Don't get trapped by his tricks…

But Alfred continued and with each word, Arthur's heart skipped another beat. "The stuff I talked about, the gestures, the kiss… It was real, from the real Alfred. Not from some love potion Artie. I could act the way I wanted to with you. I didn't have to hide things; I could be open with you. I-I'm not the most open guy and neither are you, right? So, so you could be more honest with me. Please Arthur, I know you're mad but these past few days, surely you can't say you hate them." Alfred's tone was begging now.

"…" Arthur had no idea what to say to this. His brain worked these facts and tried to fight back his heart with logical reasons why he should turn around and walk away right now. To block his heart from future pain and to protect his walls from all these people whom betrayed him.

But his heart fought back; was he really being betrayed? Was this really to hurt him? The others had been nothing but helpful; and no malicious intent could be clearly pointed out. Were they really hurting him… Or were they merely trying to help him?

"That's all the explanation I can give Arthur. If you're still mad, then I'll go. I'm sorry to have caused you so much pain. I'm sorry I never caught your advances too. If I did, I would have been so happy. I wouldn't have needed to do this either and… And-" Alfred seemed to choke on his next words. "The person that gets you is a lucky guy. I'll be envious." He turned to leave.

Only Alfred was stopped because something had grabbed his waist.

"…" Arthur mumbled something into Alfred's back.

"Huh?" Alfred felt his voice tremble. How cliché they must look like this, but he couldn't care for the little spark of hope that had just a second ago been dashed by Arthur's angry glare had been reincarnated back to life.

"You bloody idiot. You… You can't be envious of yourself." Arthur mumbled louder.

Alfred's bright smile seemed to rival the sun that shone over their heads. He spun around to face Arthur, looking down at the boy that hugged him, the green eyes looking somewhere else as a red blush was on his cheeks.

"You mean-?"

"But you have to make this up to me. I haven't forgiven you. Or the others. First thing today I'll be talking to them." Arthur muttered, though his anger seemed half-hearted now. Right now his heart was full; maybe a bit dampened by the process it took to fill it with such feelings. It was filled by the realization that Alfred. Maybe he did truly like him. He was far from fully trusting of the American, but he was willing to give this one more shot. "This has to be done right. From day one."

Alfred laughed, nodding as Arthur released him He stepped back a foot and held out his hand, to which Arthur stared at confused. "Okay then. Hi! My name is Alfred F. Jones. The F stands for Fantastic. Or Fabulous. Or fu-"

"What the bloody hell are you doing." Arthur asked, wondering if he just gave an insane person another shot at a relationship…

"Starting from day one." Alfred said cheerfully. Arthur rolled his eyes but placed his hand in Alfred's as the American roughly shook it. "Psst, hey, what's your name." Alfred asked.

Again, Arthur rolled his eyes. "Arthur Kirkland. Pleasure to meet you, I think."

Alfred grinned, "Awesome!" He grabbed Arthur by the waist, heaving him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "You're my boyfriend now."

Gasping in shock and feeling his feet rise off the ground, Arthur slapped Alfred in the back, kicking his feet futilely. "What the bloody hell are you doing, you git! Put me down! You can't just do this on a first day!" The American laughed and began to run towards the school entrance.

"But Artie, that was our first day! Next were at the day when we meet each other on the courtyard. I'm rescuing you and being your hero!" Alfred said.

Arthur groaned, though since Alfred couldn't see his head, he smiled. Perhaps this would work.

"Oh hey, Outta character time for a sec." Alfred said as he jogged. Arthur raised a bushy brow. "I kinda finished that story. Midsummer Night's Dream or something. It had a love potion too, right? And a trickster fairy and angry people and mixups and stuff, right? Kinda like us, huh?"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh, "Maybe a little bit. But there are some great differences you know."

Alfred chuckled, "Yeah, but see, I could understand it fine. Totally figured out the language and stuff. Wasn't hard at all." He announced proudly.

"You looked for a summary online, didn't you, you cheater." Arthur said, choosing to relax in Alfred's arms as Alfred struggled to open the school doors.

"Nuh uh!" Alfred mumbled, finally propping the door open with his foot. "How about you." He mumbled, "Did you finish the comic books?"

"Of course I did. I compare you with Captain America; you're my hero after all." Arthur muttered, stiffening in Alfred's hold for a moment.

Alfred laughed, "That's right I'm the hero! But Artie…."

"What?"

"Those comic books were about Batman."

"…"

"Haha.I love you Artie, happy Valentines day!"

Arthur frowned, before using his strength and lifting up from his strange potato-sack position, managing to get Alfred to turn his head slightly as he placed a well-aimed kiss on his forehead.

"Git." He muttered shyly.

"_Once you get past his normal… Odd self. You find he can be quite romantic and, well, smart."_

_Damn Kiku… _Arthur thought, sighing in Alfred's arms as they headed to class.

"Hey… Al." He nearly flinched at using the nickname. _So weird, _Arthur thought.

"Yeah?"

"I… Love you too."

* * *

**Author's Note: This was a reward to my 200****th**** Reviewer, PiffBee with the prompt being: _"If you don't mind, it can just be a simple USUK cheesy valentines date?" _It wasn't intended to be this long though.**** Please accept this PiffBee; I hope you enjoyed parts of it at least! OTL**

**The story took a while to write actually. I had the idea but every time I stopped writing, it was hard to get back in the swing. (=3= ) It just spiraled away from me and I think it ended a bit clichéd. Did the clichés make your head bleed? Did I make this too stretched and fluffy/gooey? Did I make it too long and boring? Did Arthur's OOC-ness kill you? Was Alfred too weird and everything to awkward? OTL**

**So, just to clarify though, in case it's a little confusing. Arthur used to be in a relationship with Kiku, but news of this got out and made him a good target for bullies. Back then he wasn't in student council and was fairy new to school. Alfred came and became his "hero" and that's when Arthur began to fall for Alfred. The more he was sure Alfred was unobtainable, first for thinking he wasn't "playing for that kind of team" and then because Kiku dated him, Arthur's heart grew fonder; though his mind told him nope. **

**Alfred on the other hand, fell for him the first day of school when he tried to talk to Arthur. He was a lonely kid in a new school, so he was the best person to make friends of, right? But that's for your imaginations to think of. He was intimidated by the rumors surrounding the strange Brit though, and as such he tried a more simpler approach which backfired. Needless to say, after falling on top of Arthur in a wet puddle and seeing the shocked green eyes, the encounter got his heart a-flutter and eventually, upon rescuing Arthur that fine day, the feeling became obvious love.**

**Both boys were too shy to talk to each other, especially how strange it would be since they had just recently dated Kiku. So, Francis came up with a chance plan, which more or less worked out. The rest is rocky history; but what do you think they'll be doing now? It hasn't ended with things being perfect, but something tells Arthur's friends that they'll be okay. **

**Oh and Arthur is probably casting a curse on Francis for his "brilliant plan" right about now.**

…**I've gotta get back to writing Monster High though. I haven't touched it. (;~; ") I was tempted to write a bonus Omake though; but I'm not sure if I have time... I hope I can someday. Though, I don't know if I will, so I'll mark this as complete and maybe someday you'll see this on the updated fanfics page. (;w; ~ )**

**Also, I'm sorry that the story title doesn't have much relevance to the actual story. I'm un-creative when it comes to titles. (=7=")**

**Thanks for reading this *Extremely long* one-shot! More story updates will come next week; I'm beat. (X_X) **

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


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